Propagating you favorite roses from cuttings is easy and fun.  However, be sure you are not violating any patents by increasing your roses by vegitative cuttings.  Many modern roses are covered by patents and any form of reproduction is prohibited.

1. What materials and tools are needed for cuttings?
2. How do I take rose bush cuttings?
3. How do I plant the cuttings?
4. What about watering and feeding my new cuttings?
5. What do I do when the cuttings begin to leaf out?

• Plastic nursery pots - One-gallon size (6.75 inches x 7.25 inches) works well, preferably with side drainage holes;
• Rooting medium - A 50/50 mixture of pH5 unscented kitty litter (I use Hartz) and horticultural grade perlite, or A 50/50 mixture of peat moss and coarse sand (builder’s sand), moistened and mixed thoroughly. Any coarse-textured commercial potting soil, such as Metro-Mix 360, will work also. Good aeration and water-holding capacity are important. You may pasteurize the medium by moistening, covering and baking in an oven at 180 degrees F for 35-40 minutes (start timing when medium reaches 180 degrees);
• Plastic bags - Gallon size (11" x 13") clear polyethylene food storage bag with a twist tie;
• Plastic Plant Labels - Write the date and name of the rose with a #2 lead pencil;
• A razor-sharp knife

     Take cuttings from stems that have flowered, just after the petals have fallen, but before new growth begins from the leaf buds. Cuttings should contain about four to six nodes (leaf buds). Trim about one-half inch above the top node and the same below the bottom node. Remove leaves from the lower half of each cutting. Leave two or three at the top (cuttings with leaves tend to root more successfully).
      Using a razor-sharp blade make two or three VERY shallow vertical cuts on the lower end (one inch or so) of each cutting. Cut only through the bark, not into the wood. If you choose to use a rooting hormone powder such as RooTone, dip the end of the cutting into water, then into the powder, shaking off the excess.
      Glue for Pruning Cuts:  We all use some kind of glue or sealer on canes larger than a pencil when we make a pruning cut or cut a bloom. Lew Waggaman has found a glue which is “water proof” rather than just “water resistant,” like Elmer’s glue. The name of the glue is Titebond II and probably can be found at most hardware stores; Lew purchased his at Ace Hardware. Thank you, Lew.

      Fill the pot with medium to about one inch from the top. Insert several clean bamboo stakes or other props in the center of the pot to keep the plastic bag from resting directly on the cuttings. Make holes in the medium with a pencil. Each hole should be large enough to insert a cutting without scraping off the rooting hormone and deep enough to insert it about half its length. Place the cutting in the hole you just made. Firm the medium around the cutting.

     Water the cuttings gently but thoroughly to settle them in (excessive watering will wash out some of the rooting hormone). Insert the plant label and place the bag over the cuttings, gather it around the rim of the pot, and fasten with the twist tie. Using a pencil, punch about six small holes in the plastic bag for ventilation. Enlarge the holes if there is too much condensation inside the bag. If there is no condensation, close off some of the holes with tape. Humidity inside the bag must be high.
      Place the pots outdoors in fairly heavy shade, but do not exclude the sunlight. Light will hasten rooting, but direct sunlight will overheat the cuttings and kill them. Do not place the pot near air conditioner compressors or in other hot windy areas. Make sure the pot drainage holes are not blocked. Air must circulate through the drainage holes and through the holes in the bag. No additional watering will be needed unless the medium becomes dry. DO NOT FERTILIZE UNTIL ROOTED.

      In a few weeks, the new leaf buds will begin. If this growth continues to develop and/or roots appear at the drainage holes, then cuttings have begun to root. After about six to eight weeks, cuttings should be rooted well enough to pot individually. Keep them protected in pots until they have made good growth and then plant them out in the garden. I usually heel the pots in a protected area or cold frame for the first winter and then plant them in their permanent spot in the spring.